Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-New York, questioned university leaders at a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on May 23.
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For months, House Republicans have been calling college leaders on Capitol Hill to testify about allegations of anti-Semitism on their campuses, and students have called for schools to divest from Israel as it wages war against Hamas.
Republican lawmakers said they are holding a hearing to seek answers to reports from students who say they were harassed on and around campus because they are Jewish. Their efforts so far have led to resignations from university leadership and continued attention to campus protests. But the investigations have also become political tools in Republican campaigns to draw attention to divisions within the Democratic Party.
Hearings like those held last week have settled into a familiar rhythm. Republican members accused leaders of Northwestern and Rutgers of negotiating with protesters and criticized the chancellor of UCLA for not getting police to act sooner.
“Here we are [again] At the start of the latest hearing for the presidents of UCLA, Northwestern University and Rutgers University, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., said, “We’re going to have another hearing to complain. “Anti-Semitism is a problem, but there are no effective solutions to the problem of hostility on college campuses. Complaining about the problem is not the answer—it certainly angers people and generates a lot of media coverage, but it doesn’t solve it.” any problem.
Despite some heated exchanges, university presidents appear to have largely learned the lessons of their predecessors. Sometimes they acknowledge mistakes and act differently afterward, acknowledging the difficulty of drawing the line between protected speech and conduct that violates campus policy. All three said the school is investigating allegations of anti-Semitic speech and harassment. All three appeared to avoid viral moments from earlier contentious hearings, most memorably New York Rep. Elise Stefanik’s response to the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University in December. When questioned, both men avoided answering whether they called for genocide.
“This is a political gift to Republicans”
“Watch the first hearing [in December]you know – wow, this is a political gift to Republicans,” said Doug Heye, the former communications director for the Republican National Committee.
He told NPR that unrest on college campuses is another shot in the arm for Republicans as they demonstrate to American voters that the Biden administration and the Democratic Party are the party of chaos.
“This is a way for Republicans to campaign to Jewish voters like never before,” he said. “It also fits into the larger narrative of chaos that Republicans have been pushing. Republicans were able to exploit this because of mistakes made on college campuses and in congressional testimony.
He said the strategy would also be good for Republican fundraising.
“Colleges and universities are simply not prepared to explain or defend what happened,” he said. “It also means huge political and fundraising bonanza for Republicans.”
Stefanik, the No. 4 member of House Republican leadership, broke her own fundraising record after interrogating college presidents. Her political arm brought in a record $7 million in revenue in the first quarter of 2024.
“I think we can’t underestimate the benefits of this for Elise Stefanik. It’s a big reason why she’s running for vice president. “But she’s also in a better position going into her conference because she’s been able to raise millions of dollars. of small donations, most of which she then forwarded to congressional committees. “
The hearings are part of a multi-layered approach by House Republicans, who are holding votes to force Democrats to publicly discuss issues that divide them, such as support for arms supplies to Israel and votes on the definition of anti-Semitism.
Haye acknowledged that he didn’t think the strategy would necessarily sway a large number of votes.
“But what we’re seeing is if you move one or two percent here or there, you change the political landscape very quickly,” he said. “That might not mean millions of votes, but it might mean thousands of votes in this district or in this community, and that could become very important.”
Democrats downplayed the threat
But Kristen Hawn, a Democratic strategist and partner at ROKK Solutions, said she doesn’t think the hearings actually provided any boost to Democrats, even those frustrated by what they saw on campus.
“I don’t believe that because House Republicans have held several hearings and put in a lot of PR to try to tell them that Democrats don’t support them, that it’s bound to change their minds,” she told NPR.
She believes the issues that will really change voters’ minds are more concrete issues like health care, abortion and the economy.
“I find it hard to believe that Republicans can portray Democrats as the party of broader instability.”
Additionally, she said it’s difficult for Republicans to acknowledge the problem of combating anti-Semitism because Republican presidential candidate Trump has not fully condemned the white supremacists who chanted “Jews will not replace us” in Charlottesville in 2017. , and recently posted a message video on social media depicting hypothetical headlines about his next term, one of which mentioned “creating a unified empire.”
“There’s a lot of hypocrisy out there. They – especially Donald Trump – are willing to ignore so much. You know, when we talk about people who spread hate, there are ‘good people on both sides,'” Horn said.
Many students will be away from campus for the summer, but House committees say that doesn’t mean their investigations will slow down anytime soon.
